Transformers: Age of Extinction Movie Review

Michael Bay, please stop making these movies.

Transformers: Age of Extinction is directed by the one and only Michael Bay and has replaced fidgety Shia Labeouf with Mark Wahlberg and is now the fourth movie which Bay has directed in this franchise which seems to make billions and billions of dollars despite lacking any real substance and good quality filmmaking. Instead of just giving a plot synopsis I will just say this: It's exactly the same movie as the first 3. Nothing has changed in terms of quality, plot structure or direction. If you couldn't already tell I hated this movie.

But I did like Wahlberg in the film. I have to be honest that after 3 movies of that fidgety bastard Sam Witwicky who attracted women way out of his league was becoming a little stale and a incredibly boring. Plus thank god his parents are gone! With Wahlberg we at least get a relatable protagonist who is genuinely likeable and can actually get his hands dirty and do stuff. Although when I say do stuff I don't mean find and shoot an alien gun which he should never ever find because it's physically too big for any Transformer to use in the first place. That's it in terms of positivity unfortunately.

Transformers: Age of Extinction is the same bloated, stupidly long Michael Bay orgasm which the first three were. I'll start with the plot. The plot is stupidly complicated and so self absorbed and it again sees our dumb human characters and our uninteresting Transformers characters fight over the possession of another Mcguffin, this time it is something called the Seed which can apparently wipe out human life or some bullshit, I don't really care to be honest. Its incredibly dumb and the plot paces itself out poorly and sees it go on and on and on. It is too long for its own good. Make a long movie if you have genuine substance, not just a load of hollow characters and CGI bullshit!

Apart from Wahlberg the acting in the movie is laughable at times. His daughter, played by Nicola Peltz isn't diabolical but she is incredibly hard to take seriously when she is just a stereotypical "Michael Bay chick" with long blonde hair, pink lips and unbelievably perfect make up. Her boyfriend on the other hand puts in a performance just as bad the lead from Legend of Hercules. And it isn't just the acting that's bad its the fact that the characters have nothing to them. The boyfriend simply surrenders every time somebody does as much as move! The human "villains" played by Kelsey Grammar and Stanley Tucci are just plain stupid. Their plans don't make any sense! I was watching them thinking surely you would have realised that would happen, wouldn't you?

And of course I have to talk about the Michael Bay humour that nobody on the planet (apart from him) understands. The humour is cringe worthy and terrible. And ever present, it just never ever stops. Poor old Stanley Tucci is forced to regurgitate it throughout but he isn't the worst character who is subject to this. That would be TJ Miller's character. Oh my god, I wanted to f***ing shoot him in the face he was so annoying/awful/unfunny. Michael Bay: Nobody understands your humour and we don't give 2 sh*ts about it so please stop!

Finally the directing from Michael Bay sees the exact same Michael Bay style we have come to expect from his films. It has the stupid humour, the goofy military dialogue which is beyond terrible, saturated and overly processed colours, shots of people running away from Transformers in slow motion and angled shots of people climbing out of cars. It also has the incomprehensible action of 2 Transformers fighting whilst the camera pans around them meaning we can't actually see what is going on. The CGI in this movie looks like garbage and the action goes on for way too long. After hours and hours of  watching things blow up you'd be surprised just how numb you get.

And there's another thing: Why do Michael Bay explosions have fireworks coming out of the side? Is there really any need?

I can only assume you want to watch the movie to see the Dinobtots. I wouldn't bother. They're in it for like 10 minutes and hardly do anything!

Transformers: Age of Extinction is exactly the same as it's 3 predecessors and offers nothing new or refreshing. The acting is questionable, the length is too long, the characters are hollow, the action dumb and incomprehensible and is just a big, bloated CGI mess with no entertainment value. I hated this movie:


Rating - D-


1 sentence summary - A Michael Bay wet dream, something I never want to see again in my life!


Question: If you've seen the movie, what is your favourite Transformer in it? Mine was probably Lockdown, as he had something remotely interesting about him compared to the same old same old crap we get with the Autobots and Decepticons.

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) Cast Update

The cast for one of my most anticipated movies ever is increasing all the time, and I thought it were time to give my take on a few casting choices they have made since I talked about Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor casting in February.

I'm going to try and hit them all from most recent to least recent so I'm going to start off talking about the casting of Scoot McNairy. Scoot McNairy, if you don't already know, has a pretty impressive filmography for a (fairly) unknown actor. He was most recently in Non Stop with Liam Neeson, and in much more critically successful movies like 12 Years a Slave and Argo, the last 2 Best Picture Academy Award Winners. Scoot McNairy's casting is an interesting one because at the moment the studio are not revealing who they've cast him as, leading to much speculation. Do I think he'll be a Justice League member like Green Lantern or Flash? Potentially, but that isn't what I'm theorising at the moment. The way I see it is that he has worked with Ben Affleck before with Argo and we'll see him and Affleck together in October with David Fincher's Gone Girl (which by the way I'm excited for). They've been in a fair amount of movies together and they've cast Scoot alongside his friend who is playing Batman. You see where I'm going with this? I think he's Robin, or possibly Nightwing. This is literally just me speculating typing away on my laptop at the moment but if Warner Brothers really want to keep his casting a secret, then it must be something pretty big, right? I do have my own opinion Robin being in this movie but it hasn't been confirmed so there'd be no point in my rambling on about it for ages.

However there would be a point in me talking about Aquaman. DC's most unfairly treated and underappreciated JLA member will be introduced in the Batman v Superman movie. He will be played by Game of Thrones star Jason Momoa. I am really behind his casting because to a lot of people Aquaman is just a joke, as in a useless waste of space who can talk to fish. He's the King of Atlantis for Christ's sake and has a tonne of mythology behind him. I really think that with Momoa's casting that as soon as people here that "that guy from Game of Thrones" will play Aquaman, people will start to take the character more seriously. So to sum up: Excellent casting choice.

And finally way back in April Cyborg was cast and Ray Fisher was the lucky man given the role. My issue with this is not the actual casting (I'm sure the guy will do just fine) but rather what they do with the character of Cyborg in this movie. I would have preferred to have seen Cyborg introduced in The Justice League (2017) as opposed to this movie, only because I fear that there will be too many other heroes in the movie that will take away screen time from Batman and Superman. This is unless they just introduce Victor Stone as the football player who exists in the universe and don't actually make him into the superhero Cyborg. Only time will tell with what they decide to do I guess, and I'm interested to see if we get the man Victor Stone or the mechanical superhuman Cyborg.


So that's my take on the casting of Cyborg, Aquaman and the "mystery role" for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). Question: What do you think of these casting choices?


Thanks for reading,
Matt

How To Train Your Dragon 2 Movie Review

The summer of 2014 has been so solid, and HTTYD2 (which is what I'm calling it from now on as I'm too lazy to type it out fully) just proves it...

HTTYD2 is directed by Dean DeBlois and is the sequel to the surprise hit How To Train Your Dragon. The film again follows Hiccup and Toothless and follows the events 5 years after the first movie. In the film Hiccup now has to step up to the responsibility of being the leader of his people whilst at the same time he is dealing with a personal conflict and the threat of a villain gathering an army of dragons grows.

My experience with the first movie was a good one and I thought it was a good animated flick, if not a tiny bit overrated by some people. However, if people go on to say that HTTYD2 is one of the best animations of the last decade, I can't disagree with them. HTTYD2 does everything a sequel should do and it gave me a great film experience in which I was sucked in from scene 1 to the end credits.

One of the best things about this movie is the characters at the forefront of the film. The relationship between Hiccup and Toothless is incredibly cute and relatable for anybody who has ever owned a pet in their life. The dynamic between the 2 leads is excellent and on top of that the 2 characters themselves are given more depth and are more fleshed out, which is exactly what a sequel needs to do. Toothless is literally awesome in a way where he can be cute and badass at exactly the same time, and Hiccup goes through some really impactful situations in the movie, which help develop him more as a character. No longer is he Hiccup the boy, he is Hiccup the man who must step up to do what is required of him.

That is obviously a familiar theme but is an effective one if executed well. This is just one theme the movie has expertly woven into it; others including friendship, family and sacrifice. The movie also doesn't spoon feed children with obvious exposition and does not sugar-coat over some of the dark stuff which can happen to people, which gets 2 thumbs up from me as I am sick of animations doing that these days. The movie blends emotional and development scenes well.

Although action sequences are also blended brilliantly into the story and are awesome to watch. The movie's cinematography is so impressive and is at its best during these huge action sequences where the camera follows a dragon flying through the air. The musical score composed by John Powell is also breath taking at times, and like it's predecessor is one of the movies best strengths.

The character animation is beautiful and the voice cast is also very good. I will say what everyone else is saying but it is so true that Jay Baruchel is perfect as Hiccup. I honestly left HTTYD2 thinking about just how involved I was in it and I had so many positive things to say. But, it isn't perfect in my eyes...

My 2 issues with the film start with the villain. It wasn't that he was bad its just he was clichéd right down to his physical appearance. It's almost a rule of Hollywood animations these days that the villain must be physically huge and have long dark hair with an eye scar. Also the side characters in the movie don't really do much for me and in my opinion don't bring a lot to the table in terms of being comedic relief.

But HTTYD2 is a great kids movie and I really liked it, so its getting a high grade:



Rating - A-


1 sentence summary - A superior kids film with excellent characters, themes and emotions woven through it!



Question: Your favourite DreamWorks's animation of all time?


Thanks for reading,
Matt

Is "The Batman" coming in 2019?

Anything DC, Marvel or Star Wars related these days gives me an unstoppable urge to write one of these posts. The news today concerns a solo Batman movie which may come out in 2019...

 Less than a week ago a rumour surfaced that "The Batman" could it theatres in 2019. This film was not "confirmed" in Nikki Finke's DC film slate scoop but with a large cinematic universe very much on the cards for DC at the moment and with Batman being as popular as he is, people will want to see a solo outing for the caped crusader at some point. This news is merely a rumour and has not been confirmed by the studio so keep that in mind.

Firstly I think I need to mention what I think about Ben Affleck as Batman. I hope he crushes it. The more hate I see towards his casting on the Internet, the more I want him to succeed. If the script treats Batman well in a way which we haven't seen before (as an alternative to Nolan's ultra-realistic Batman) with good guidance from Zach Snyder, he can absolutely kill it at as Batman. So I literally have zero complaints and I'm praying he does a good job in Dawn of Justice (2016).

Secondly, do I think 2019 is a little late for that to be happening? Absolutely not. We have the Christopher Nolan Batman movies to enjoy from now until then plus Batman will definitely be in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (duh!) in 2016 and then The Justice League in 2017. So from my point of view there would be no point of getting impatient about it considering it may come out in 5 years time, and even then that is the absolute earliest.

Finally, who do I think should direct the movie? Well for me it's an absolute no brainer and I would like Batfleck himself to sit in the directors chair and be The Batman at the same time. By then he'll have (I hope) an in depth understanding of the Batman character, plus he's such a talented director. His filmography includes Gone Baby Gone, The Town and Argo; all very good movies which share a similar trait as they are all directed fantastically. Give Ben Affleck the directing job if a solo Batman film were to come out in 2019, it's the obvious choice and the right one for me!

This is where I get creative and make some wildly wrong predictions but I'm going to say what I would do if I was given the job to direct the rumoured Batman movie which may come out in 2019. Baring in mind Dawn of Justice and The Justice League would already have come out by then, I would aim to do something slightly new. I would do a film with The Riddler as the villain. No... not Jim Carrey in green, question mark pyjamas but a really cool, smart and methodical Riddler which can test Batman on a psychological level, you know like the one from The Batman Animated Series. Actually, re cast Lex Luthor and make Jesse Eisenberg the Riddler. To me that would be a casting which makes sense! I'm not the biggest fan of Eisenberg as Lex, but I will say he would make an awesome Riddler, especially the one I'm envisaging.


If this movie were to surface, who would you want to direct and what villain would you want to see in the movie?


Thanks for reading,
Matt

Star Wars and Marvel Movie Talk

I thought that today I would talk about 2 of my favourite topics: Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and all of the (fairly) recent news stories from them...



Star Wars


Ever since the initial cast for Episode 7 was released in April, I have been progressively more and more pumped for JJ Abrams' take on the Star Wars franchise. JJ is a great director and has made 2 incredible Star Trek movies and this movie also has the writer who did the Empire Strikes Back, my favourite Star Wars movie. But it isn't just Episode 7 which is grabbing the headlines recently..

A few days ago it was confirmed that Rian Johnson would be directing Episode 8 and would "write a treatment for Episode 9", which I guess means he'll write the screenplay but won't be directing it. I guess this already poses a question: who do you think will direct Episode 9? As for this directing choice, I think its a good one. His last science fiction effort was Looper, which I enjoyed very much and others said it was one of the best movies of 2012. He also directed 3 episodes of Breaking Bad including my personal favourite episode "Ozymandias". So really I have absolutely no complaints and I'm glad we have a good sci fi director at the helm. The only real loser in this situation is JJ Abrams who won't be returning...

Other news concerns the creation of a wider Star Wars universe with 2 directors confirmed to direct 2 Star Wars spinoff movies. Godzilla director Gareth Edwards is to helm the first one which people are speculating is Boba Fett. I really enjoyed Godzilla and I think the directing from Edwards was the best part of the movie. Boba Fett is a cool popular character with a tonne of mythology surrounding him so that'd be a good choice for a spinoff. Josh Trank who did Chronicle will direct the other one which people are speculating may be a young Han Solo movie. Of course nothing has been confirmed and the studio may decide not to use Boba Fett or Han Solo for their spinoffs but those 2 are the ones I would like to see. As for Trank, I'll see how he does with the Fantastic Four reboot before I judge whether he can make a good Star Wars movie.

The final snippets of news include the addition of Gwendoline Christie and Oscar winner Lupita N'yongo to the cast, causing people who claimed racism and sexism to eat their words. Also Han Solo himself Harrison Ford injured his ankle on set causing him to have surgery on it a few days ago. I hope this doesn't disrupt things on set too much and I wish him a speedy recovery!




Marvel


Ah the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not a week goes by without some sort of formal announcement or speculation involving their shared superhero universe. There has been a tonne of announcement in the past month or so, so here we go:

After Edgar Wright left Ant Man due to "creative differences" many claimed this was the first sign of cracks beginning to form for the studio. However any wild speculation of cracks forming was soon removed when Peyton Reed was hired to direct it, with Adam McKay still on board as the writer. Kevin Feige also confirmed that filming would begin in August and the movie would still hit theatres in July 17th 2015. It looks like the studio is attempting a film with a considerable comedic tone to it, which is again something new for the MCU. Whether Ant Man flies or flops, we'll have Age of Ultron coming out in the same year so it honestly doesn't matter too much...

The studio have also found their Thanos with Josh Brolin. It's a good choice because his voice can potentially be commanding and menacing which is what the biggest villain in the MCU deserves.

Phase 3 has also kicked up a fuss recently with Mark Ruffalo talking about how the studio may be considering a solo Hulk movie. Well there really is no reason why we shouldn't get one considering Ruffalo completely kills it as the Hulk and they have a huge amount of inspiration to work with, which could be the Planet Hulk and World War Hulk storyline... But this is all speculation at the moment; expect Marvel's Phase 3 plans to be formally announced at Comic con.

One movie we know will be in Phase 3 is Doctor Strange which will be directed by Scott Derickson, the man behind Sinister. Again Marvel are trying new things by hiring a horror director for one of their future projects, meaning another movie with a different tone. Stephen Strange will help Marvel introduce the more magic and mystical side to the MCU which so far has been untouched. Whether he'll appear in the Avengers 3 or who the villain will be is unknown, but the most important thing for me is who'll will play him. Huge actors have been linked with the role, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy and Jared Leto. Who do you think will play him?




If you have any thoughts on anything Star Wars or Marvel related, please do!


Thanks for reading,
Matt

The Fault in Our Stars Movie Review

Kleenex is going to make a fortune...

The Fault in Our Stars is the next big teen novel movie that was inevitably going to be made because that is just what happens in Hollywood nowadays. The movie stars Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort who play Hazel and Gus respectively and the film goes on to tell their story of love and how they both get on and enjoy their lives despite being dealt life's cruellest hand; cancer.

Personally romance films are just not for me. I never get overly excited about the genre and I have never really understood a lot of the hype that comes with movies like The Fault in Our Stars. That being said I went into the film thinking that it was going to be sappy as shit and that I was going to dislike it. The Fault in Our Stars actually surprised me. It's not perfect by a long shot but I did like a lot of what I was seeing.

The best thing this movie has going for it is Shailene Woodley and her performance. She is so good and I think delivers the best female performance of the year so far. She's such a talented actress and that really shows as she brings to life her character (Hazel) in a way where she has an incredible amount of depth but is also extremely likeable. The performance is heart-breaking, yet incredibly good as she is so real with her acting and gives great emotional weight to her character, which you as an audience member will desperately love and care for. She's so damn likeable!

The chemistry between her and Elgort was pretty good. It wasn't mind blowing or anything but the two actors worked well with each other and about half way through the film I seriously believed that these two characters were falling in love with each other. They were such a cute couple, and Elgort also puts in a good performance especially in the third act of this movie, where tears will most likely be shed I promise. However during the first act of the movie I didn't believe Elgort's character at all, which is probably why throughout the entire film I wanted the relationship to endure because it would make Shailene Woodley's character happy! For two acts of the film this guy was practically invincible and just too perfect, which isn't really something I enjoyed watching!

The film is still directed with patience and sensitivity by Josh Boone and the script is handled with care and it really puts an emphasis on the characters. The film mixes its emotional tones in a way which didn't feel forced and the pacing flowed nearly perfectly from act 1 to act 2 to act 3. Yet I still think that had we scene 10 minutes edited out from either act 1 or 2 (or a mix of both), the gut wrenching final act of the film would've been better received by myself.

My biggest complaint with the film though is that while at times its narrative makes perfectly clear that it is trying to avoid genre conventions and romance movie clichés, it sometimes does adhere to those conventions and those clichés. There were a few moments when it did start to feel a little clichéd along with some moments where it did border into sappy. Half of the time the emotional was real and it came from those excellent subtle moments, in particular one scene involving Hazel's mother, who's played well be Laura Dern. The other half saw moments where the film desperately reaches out to you and begs you to cry.

While I was pleasantly surprised by it, The Fault in Our Stars didn't blow me away and take me on an unforgettable emotional rollercoaster. But it was written, directed and acted well so I had a pleasant time watching it and I bet you will to.


Rating - B-


1 sentence summary - Shailene Woodley's star performance the shining light in a movie which will probably make you cry once, if not more!



Question: What's your favourite romance film of all time. Mine is Spike Jonze's "Her" (2013).


Thanks for reading,
Matt

DC Movie Slate Revealed?

 

Before reading, I suggest reading this article which was written by Nikki Finke a couple of days ago. The link is: http://nikkifinke.com/comic-con/. Before reading, I suggest taking everything with a pinch of salt as none of this has been confirmed by the studio, although it could've potentially spoiled the biggest announcement of comic-con history!

This picture is so cool by the way I had to use it!


Nikki Finke may just have revealed the biggest movie news of the entire year by possibly revealing what DC comics and Warner Brothers have up their sleeves for the next couple of years. When I saw this news a few thoughts came to mind. The first was something along the lines of this could be total crap. The second was OMFG this is amazing if this is true! The slate, which sees 7 DC films released within 2 and a bit years goes like this:


Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - May 2016

Shazam - July 2016

Sandman - Christmas 2016

The Justice League - May 2017

Wonder Woman - July 2017

Flash/Green Lantern team up - Christmas 2017

Man of Steel 2 - May 2018


Firstly, this could be total crap. If it isn't then there are both positives and negatives I think people can take from it. Optimists would say something like "Yes! DC and Warner Brothers have a plan and they're going for it!". More cautious people would say "Don't blow your load too quickly, and how on earth are they going to release 3 films a year?".

Some may also say that with this proposed slate of films that the superhero movie genre is becoming too saturated. However because superhero movies are one of my personal favourite genres I have absolutely no complaints. I mean, if this slate is true, I have 3 DC films (including Batman v Superman), 2 Marvel films (Cap 3 being a definite), X: Men Apocalypse and the Sinister Six to see in 2016. That doesn't bother me in the slightest, it sounds awesome!

As for the planned films, for me the chronology of their releases seems pretty good however I would be surprised if they all come out that close together. 3 huge movies coming out in one year would take an incredible amount of resources for the studio and it also does put pressure on the finished products to be good as they'll need to get people in those seats in order to cash in on a decent profit. Yet if this slate is true, we know Warner Bros have a plan, which they've formulated for the last year and is hence the reason why Batman v Superman was delayed...

What also is interesting to me is that DC are taking a different approach to Marvel in how they handle their characters. For example, it is almost a certainty that we will see characters like Flash and Green Lantern in Batman v Superman, or failing that the Justice League, before their stand alone movie. That means that we'll be familiar with who they are as a character before delving deeper into them when their stand alone movie comes out. I like this approach and I'm curious to see how it pans out and whether or not these somewhat unknown super heroes can get their time to shine in the public eye. The only character to date which we don't know if he'll appear in this slate is the Martian Manhunter, as Jason Momoa was confirmed as Aquaman recently and all 7 other core members of the JLA are set to appear in the slate.

After the epicness of Superman and Batman kicking each other's ass we get to see Shazam on the big screen. Shazam is also known as Captain Marvel, and is basically a small boy who turns into a super hero when he shouts "Shazam!" and is struck by lightning. There have been rumours for months that "The Roc"k could be playing Shazam or his nemesis Black Adam. Nothing has been confirmed as of yet however.

Sandman is going to be written by David Goyer and will involve Joseph Gordon Levitt, who I personally hope is directing and starring in it. Sandman is a character which lives in a separate universe from the Justice League (like the Watchmen or Jonah Hex) but I don't know who he is so I'm immediately excited to see the film! Hopefully it can be the superhero movie that is refreshing and puts a different spin on the genre.

2017 sees the Justice League film released which Zach Synder will direct. The film will see possibly 9 DC heroes within it fighting against an unknown foe, those 9 heroes being Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Cyborg, Shazam, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter. This line up may be different but that is how I interpret it at the moment. You may think that's a lot, but the Avengers: Age of Ultron is set to have 9 heroes with the 6 from the first film being joined by Quicksilver, Scarlett Witch and possibly The Vision. If that film works, then I don't think we need to worry about an overload of characters!

The Justice League is followed by Wonder Woman, the Flash/Green Lantern team up and Man of Steel 2. Man of Steel will get an actual sequel which doesn't have Batman in it! Well he could make an appearance, but you know what I essentially mean! Again, I think these movies will bring more depth to characters we are already familiar with. Also Ryan Reynolds won't be cast as Green Lantern apparently, which is good as he can finally get the Deadpool movie made that we've been teased with for so long...

So my final thoughts on this proposed slate include various questions. Who will play the superheroes? Who will the villains be? Will we see a standalone Batman movie with Ben Affleck playing the caped crusader? If you have any thoughts on anything I've said or those questions please leave a comment!

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Edge of Tomorrow & 22 Jump Street Double Feature - Movie Reviews

Having seen both Edge of Tomorrow and 22 Jump Street very recently I thought it would probably be best if I clumped both reviews into 1 post. Sounds logical I guess...



Edge of Tomorrow


Edge of Tomorrow is directed by Doug Liman, the man behind the Bourne Identity, and stars Tom Cruise, arguably the biggest movie star in the world, alongside Emily Blunt. In a dystopian future, practically unbeatable alien creatures called mimics invade the earth and Tom Cruise's character is sent to the front line in order to help with the invasion. However after failing miserably the first time he obtains the ability to wake up after death and re start the day. I liked Edge of Tomorrow but it was not perfect. Firstly, Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt are great in their roles and do have really good on screen chemistry. The direction from Doug Liman combines a hand held style which works when it needs to along with epic wide shots which look awesome. The battle sequences work because you can actually see what is happening on screen; there is no quick cuts and shaky cam, which is a relief! The action is pretty incredible and the first 2 acts of the film are solid science fiction movie making, its exhilarating and refreshing at the same time. For example, in this film Tom Cruise has a different story arc to what you'd expect because he's a coward. Only through endlessly repeating the day does he become and efficient badass in combat, which Emily Blunt is from the first time you see her on screen. She is an incredibly strong female lead and was probably the second best thing about the film, behind the action of course! The film, despite showing the same day over and over, never felt repetitive, which gets a thumbs up from me! However there were issues for me with pacing in the final act of the film. Personally, I thought it was trying to rush things and it came to an ending which, for me, didn't work. It isn't a popular opinion but I honestly thought that the film's ending just wasn't satisfying enough. It pains me to say it but it is true. However, the first 2 acts were dynamite at times, and I recommend you see it!


Rating - B




22 Jump Street


22 Jump Street is directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. 21 Jump Street was a really good comedy as it was so refreshing. I was afraid that the sequel wouldn't capture the same tone the first did, but it turns out that 22 is actually funnier than 21. 22 Jump Street is a kick-ass comedy film with nearly perfect consistency. The comedic timing of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum is exceptional and I honestly think the person who said "let's put them 2 in a buddy cop comedy movie" is a genius! There isn't really much else I can say about 22 Jump Street other than it is very funny and at 3 times I was gut busting. Ice Cube is so much funnier in this film compared to 21 and has one scene in where I literally had tears. There's 2 other scenes like that. It is so rare that a comedy sequel can be better than the first but these guys honestly made it work. The film is also so self aware and does a great job at spoofing the fact that it is practically the same film as the first as well as spoofing the idea of sequels, having a larger budget, action movie clichés and so on! The film does have a few completely predictable moments, it does border into sappy at times and the supporting cast is made up of a few characters which were pretty annoying. But the film was so funny! It is a great time at the theatre, I recommend going with a few friends as you will all enjoy dying of laughter sitting next to each other!


Rating - B+




If you're reading this, what did you think of Edge of Tomorrow and/or 22 Jump Street? Did you like Edge of Tomorrow's ending? Whatever your thoughts I'd like to know!

Thanks for reading,
Matt

X-Men: Days of Future Past Movie Review (Mild spoilers)

Better late than never.

X-Men: Days of Future Past is directed by Bryan Singer, the director returning to the helm of the X-Men franchise after previously directing the first two instalments; X-Men and X2. The film sees the mutants we know and love living in an apocalyptic wasteland on the run from machines known as Sentinels. These beings are incredibly powerful and can adapt to any mutant power in order to defeat them, plus have the ability to target mutants and humans with the gene for mutation. In order to avert this future, the X-Men send Wolverine back in time to round up Charles Xavier, Magneto and others in order to stop Mystique from assassinating Bolivar Trask, this being the event which sees the Sentinel's creation.

I must say that the summer blockbusters of 2014 have been majorly impressive and enjoyable and this film is no exception. Bryan Singer's return proved to be a successful one for his directing career and the franchise itself as events within the film see a creation of an all new timeline, one which can be filled up with new X-Men movies. Singer not only removed some of the mistakes of X3: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins:Wolverine, but he also rendered the events of X Men 1,2 and The Wolverine as no longer canon.

I really have a fondness for the X-Men franchise because they strike an excellent balance between the ultra serious and realistic storytelling of The Dark Knight trilogy and the super-fun popcorn entertainment we get from the Avengers. The film finds this balance through genuine humour which works, especially in the first act of the film. At that stage of the film I was laughing consistently.

However the film is driven forward by its riveting story of time travel and alternate realities. For Bryan Singer and screenwriter Simon Kinberg to create a time travel tale, one from a beloved comic storyline of the same name, and create it so I never found myself confused or contradicted is a fantastic achievement. The time travel script was written with care, and translates clearly onto the big screen.

What really makes the movie though is the emotional weight we feel towards characters we are familiar with. Each character has different layers and depth to them. For example, Charles Xavier at this point is a broken man who has lost all hope, different to the wise old man we know. Wolverine has to use his brain as opposed to going berserk like he normally does and Mystique is emotionally conflicted in every sense. What I also loved was the parallel between past Magneto (Fassbender) and future Magneto (Mckellen) and seeing just how much that character has developed.

The performances are great across the board, my two favourites being McAvoy and Fassbender, who's chemistry which made First Class such a hit is still there.

While some may complain about the lack of action, I won't because the story was compelling and the characters were so interesting. My one exception would be main villain Bolivar Trask. While Peter Dinklage does well acting wise, I didn't understand his motivation for creating these Sentinels. A more compelling villain would have put this film on another level. Also, a few inconsistencies still exist within the X-Men timeline, but those events never actually happened according to the new timeline so I can't really complain.

Also, I can't not mention Quicksilver. While the production photos made him look terrible, he is actually a really cool character. And he's fast, really fast. That scene in the Pentagon where we see Quicksilver run at super speed and take out all of those guys in that kitchen is one of my favourite scenes in a Marvel movie.

Despite a weakness with the villain, I loved Days of Future Past and I think it exceeds the most through its story and through its characters. It's ballsy and changes the timeline of X-Men films allowing room for many more instalments. And with Bryan Singer returning for X-Men: Apocalypse in 2016, I can't wait to see where this franchise goes.


Rating - A


1 sentence summary - Everything great about the X-Men franchise bundled into one fantastic movie!


Thanks for reading,
Matt

May at the Movies - Mini Reviews by Matt Harrison

In May 2014 I saw 4 movies and since I haven't had time to review them, I'm simply going to give my opinions on the films I saw very briefly. This monthly review won't be a permanent fixture however and I will return to my longer reviews after this. But for now, here are the short reviews...




The Amazing Spiderman 2


The second instalment of Sony's rebooted Spiderman franchise has received  a lot of criticism but I honestly enjoyed large segments of the film. Its predecessor the Amazing Spiderman was a film which I pretty much hated after my first viewing. However, once I accepted that Spiderman was getting a reboot, I sat back and enjoyed some portions of the film a lot more than first time around. The sequel however is better, but still has issues. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone put in some solid all-round performances and have really good romantic chemistry. The film has some genuinely heart-breaking moments and some good action sequences coupled with some very colourful, comic book-like special effects. Hans Zimmer's score is also good. However, all 3 villains were completely miss-handled in some way and the films structure was completely off. It literally felt like a string of scenes strung together in an attempt to encompass all 40 major plot elements. The trailer also nearly ruined everything in the film. Overall though I was entertained and interested:


Rating - B-




Bad Neighbours


Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne are a married couple bringing up their newly born child in a peaceful and quiet suburban neighbourhood, until a fraternity led by Zac Efron and Dave Franco moves in next door. What follows is a pretty basic premise but an entertaining and funny movie none the less. My main issue with this film was that it probably could have been much funnier. The film constantly and consistently made me laugh but never reached that next sphere of comedy where my sides started to ache. However their are good comedic performances across the cast from Rose Byrne and Zac Efron in particular. The film is of a good length and paces well, the jokes vary from slapstick to pop culture references and the film is enjoyable. I have minor issues involving a police officer (if you've seen the film you know) and the ending didn't satisfy me. This isn't as hilarious as my high expectations thought it should have been, but I enjoyed it and laughed from beginning to end:


Rating - B




Godzilla


This one was one of my most anticipated films of the entire year, especially with a great monster movie director Gareth Edwards at the helm and Bryan Cranston starring in it. Godzilla, when on screen, delivered some of the best cinematic moments I've seen in years. The final act of the film is jaw dropping, and made me cheer on 3 occasions. The moments where Godzilla fights are godly. The cinematography is incredible, the visual effects amongst the best ever, the sound design chilling. But Godzilla also offers a performance of great emotional depth from Heisenberg himself. However, he isn't in the film enough, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson's character isn't as relatable or likeable as Cranston's. The man does a fine job though acting wise. The film balances its ultra serious and fun popcorn-film tone brilliantly and the decision to tell the story from one families perspective was an excellent one. My only issue; not enough Godzilla! Too much "meat-dangling" in the second act was too much to bare! However, I enjoyed this film so much:


Rating - A-




A Million Ways to Die in the West


Seth Macfarlane's new live-action comedy. It was a disappointing one. Its made all the more disappointing in that at times the Seth Macfarlane "spark" is there, the spark which made Family Guy so god dam hilarious! It's too reliant on dick, poop and fart jokes which wear down after about half an hour in. The way it was filmed made the inevitable slapstick comedy obvious. The story itself which tried to recycle a load of unrelated and repeated plot points was just a clunky mess because I was bored watching it. A lot of it requires us to care about some of the characters but you just don't because there is no depth to them, at least for me there wasn't. I did laugh though, the music was good, so were the costumes and some of the cameos were pretty great. However its completely forgettable, boring and not funny most of the time. Seth Macfarlane is in my eyes a comical genius, but not with stuff like this!


Rating - C-




So those are the films I saw in May. Comment on what you thought of these films down below if you've seen any of them. I'll be back shortly, I need to so X-Men!

Thanks for reading,
Matt